Growing up, I wasn’t a fan of fantasy fiction.  It wasn’t until I was an adult and decided to read C.S. Lewis’ The Lion, The Witch and the Wardrobe to my children that I came to appreciate that particular book.  Thankfully my older daughter came to love our read-aloud so much that she read the entire Chronicles of Narnia series.

The Song of the Bear follows those same lines, a Christian fantasy story that is full of metaphors designed to teach us more about our faith.  It is set hundreds of years ago and revolves around a farmer, John, and his three young companions.  Soman, the great bear, rescues and redeems each one from difficult circumstances and empowers them to battle evil.

As readers follow the story of John and his three young companions, one of the lessons that becomes evident is how God directs our lives. You can also see the enemy for who he is as evil arrives in the form of scary beasts and other creatures, with whom the main characters fight several fierce battles.

I would say that this book is directed toward older children and adults. Descriptions during some of the battle scenes are a bit gruesome and violent, though it makes the story quite realistic. Both of my daughters read it, and my 14-year-old grasped most of the symbolic portions of the story, probably more so than my 12-year-old.  The book was very well-written and had me wanting to keep reading to see what happened in the next chapter.   

You can read more about the book and its author here.

Do you like fantasy books?

I was provided with a complimentary copy of this book to facilitate my review.  All of the opinions expressed in this post are my own and
I was not compensated for this review in any other way.

If you enjoy looking at pictures of rooms that are beautifully put together, this book is for you. The photography in Apartment Therapy’s latest book is superb and features many ideas that you can adapt for your own living space.

Apartment Therapy Complete + Happy Home begins with the basics, from describing common house styles to defining various design aesthetics.  (Do you like eclectic collections, prefer classic glam, warm industrial, or simple chic?  I think I’m a mix of new traditional and contemporary cottage.)

The next sections of the book break down types of flooring, window coverings, lighting, and art.  Many pages of sample rooms follow, and the writers share practical ideas for getting the look you want for your home.  The back of the book contains suggestions for outdoor spaces and tips for organizing and cleaning your house.

This 320-page volume truly is a complete guide to planning, decorating, and maintaining a lovely home.  It releases September 15th, but you can pre-order it now at Amazon or other book retailers.

Blogging for Books provided me with a complimentary copy of this book.  All of the opinions expressed in this post are my own and
I was not compensated for this review in any other way.

I’m surprised that I was able to read as much as I did in August!  It was a very busy month, but here’s how I did with the books on my August reading list.

Spiritual:  The Sovereignty of God by Arthur Pink.  Honestly, I only read half of this book.  While I could have plowed through it, I kept getting bogged down in the debate between God’s sovereignty and man’s free will, and didn’t feel like I was getting what I expected from this book.
Marriage:  What Did You Expect?  Redeeming the Realities of Marriage by Paul David Tripp.  I’m enjoying this book so far….which means I didn’t get it finished this month!  Thanks to the Kindle, I know I’m only about 15% into the book, so I’ll hope to finish it up in September.
Parenting:  Raising Great Kids:  A Comprehensive Guide to Parenting with Grace and Truth by Dr. Henry Cloud and Dr. John Townsend.  This book dealt with the following six character traits that the authors believe we need to help our children develop:  connectedness, responsibility, reality, competence, morality, and worship/spiritual life.  I like how the authors related these to each stage of childhood, and – since I’m dealing with this stage – a couple of chapters at the end of the book emphasizing teenage issues.
Personal Growth:  Eat, Move, Sleep:  How Small Choices Lead to Big Changes by Tom Rath.  I enjoyed this book full of easy adjustments we can make in our lifestyle that will help us to eat right, move more, and sleep better.  I breezed through it the first time (it’s an easy read), so I read it a second time in hopes of motivating myself to adapt at least a few of the ideas the author shared.

I read three other books in August.


Prairie School by Lois Lenski.  I read this aloud to my 12-year-old.  It was okay, but there are other Lois Lenksi books I’ve enjoyed more.

To Write a Wrong by Robin Caroll.  This was my first fiction read for our Boston vacation.  It was the sequel to Injustice for All which I read last month.  

The Candidate by Susan Wales and Robin Shope.  Mu other fiction read this month was the third book in its series.  It had been awhile since I read the first two; this one was okay, but I thought the first two were more intriguing. 

(Re-reading this post makes it sound like I had high expectations for my books this month!!)

Here are the books I hope to read/finish in September.

Spiritual:  The Imitation of Christ by Thomas a’ Kempis
Marriage:  What Did You Expect?  Redeeming the Realities of Marriage by Paul David Tripp
Parenting:  And Then I Had Teenagers:  Encouragement for Parents of Teens and Preteens by Susan Alexander Yates
Personal Growth:  Apartment Therapy:  Complete + Happy Home by Maxwell Ryan and Janel Laban

What have you been reading lately?

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This is the third month in a row that I’ve read six books, so that must be a reasonable goal for me.

Here’s what I read from my list this month.

Spiritual: In a Pit with a Lion on a Snowy Day by Mark Batterson. Mark challenges readers to face their fears with God’s help and seize the opportunities He sends our way to do great things for Him.
Marriage:  When Sinners Say “I Do” – Discovering the Power of the Gospel for Marriage by Dave Harvey.  I wasn’t impressed with this book at first, but the more I read, the more I appreciated the author’s premise.  We are all sinners, so in order to make our marriages work, the same traits that God extended to us in salvation – forgiveness, mercy, and grace – must dominate our relationship with our spouse.
Parenting:  When More Is Not Enough:  How to Stop Giving Your Kids What They Want and Give Them What They Need by Amy L. Sullivan.  The theme of this book is helping your kids develop a giving spirit and training them to focus on the needs of others rather than their own gratification.
Personal Growth:  I’m Happy for You (Sort of…Not Really):  Finding Contentment in a Culture of Comparison by Kay Wills Wyma.  You can read my full review of this book here.

I read two other books in June.

Styling Faith:  The Complete Style Guide by Catherine E. Storing.  This book had some interesting information on women’s dress, makeup, hair care, fitness, and nutrition, but the e-book version I read had some grammatical and formatting issues that somewhat distracted from the content.

Injustice for All by Robin Caroll.  This was one of my fiction reads for our Boston trip…that I started and finished before we ever left.

Here are the books I hope to read in August.

Spiritual:  The Sovereignty of God by Arthur Pink
Marriage:  What Did You Expect?  Redeeming the Realities of Marriage by Paul David Tripp
Parenting:  Raising Great Kids:  A Comprehensive Guide to Parenting with Grace and Truth by Dr. Henry Cloud and Dr. John Townsend
Personal Growth:  Eat, Move, Sleep:  How Small Choices Lead to Big Changes by Tom Rath

What have you been reading lately?

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I’m happy to be keeping up with most of my reading goals in spite of our lively summer schedule.

I didn’t read the marriage book I had planned on for June (The 10 Commandments of Marriage by Ed Young). I put it on hold at the library and waited on it all month, but it never came in.  I’m selective about what books I spend money on these days and wasn’t sure this one was good enough to buy!  I’ll try to read it later this year.

Here’s what I did read from my list this month.

• What Happens When Women Pray by Evelyn Carol Christenson.  I was glad I persevered through the first half of this book, because the last several chapters were very helpful.  There were excellent reminders about scheduling our personal prayer time and on praying in God’s will.

• Hopeful Parenting:  Encouragement for Raising Kids Who Love God by David Jeremiah.  This truly was a book of encouragement for parents!  The author reminds us that ultimately our children belong to God and He provides the resources we need to parent our children.  Training our children in the ways of God should be one of our greatest priorities as we see them as the blessing in our lives that God intended them to be.

• Women Living Well by Courtney Joseph (This was a re-read.)  I enjoyed reading through this book again.  Courtney inspires Christian women in every area of their walk with the Lord, from personal devotions to their marriage and parenting.

These are the other books I read in June.

• Imposter by Davis Bunn.  This was my fiction read for our family vacation in the mountains.

• Fodor’s Boston.  Read through this in preparation for our trip to Boston next month! 

• I’m Happy for You (Sort Of…Not Really):  Finding Contentment in a Culture of Comparison by Kay Wills Wyma.  I’ve already mentioned how much I love this book, and I’ll write a full review post on it soon.

Here are the books I hope to read in July.

Spiritual:  In a Pit with a Lion on a Snowy Day by Mark Batterson
Marriage:  When Sinners Say “I Do” – Discovering the Power of the Gospel for Marriage by Dave Harvey
Parenting:  When More Is Not Enough:  How to Stop Giving Your Kids What They Want and Give Them What They Need by Amy L. Sullivan
Personal Growth:  I’m Happy for You (Sort of…Not Really):  Finding Contentment in a Culture of Comparison by Kay Wills Wyma.  Yes, I’m reading this book again!  I marked it up the first time through, but want to read it again more slowly and absorb its message even more.

What have you been reading lately?

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I made it through all four of the books I planned to read in May!

• Restless:  Because You Were Made for More by Jennie Allen.  This book dealt with finding the work that God has for you by studying the threads of your life that He has uniquely woven together to fit you for His calling.

• Wife After God:  Drawing Closer to God and Your Husband by Jennifer Smith.  This was actually a devotional, which I started the month by using each morning, but ended up just reading the final ten days or so all at once.  The best section was the one on praying for your spouse.  It challenged me to pray even more specifically for my husband’s needs on a daily basis.

• Parenting with Purpose:  Winning the Heart of Your Child by Paul and Billie Kaye Tsika.  This book taught parents to develop a balance between discipline and grace when dealing with their children.  Guidance for parenting teens was woven throughout the book, which I found helpful for my current season!

• Better Than Before:  Mastering the Habits of Our Everyday Lives by Gretchen Rubin.  You can read my full review here.

I read two other books this month as well.

• Come Home to Supper by Christy Jordan.  This is Christy’s (SouthernPlate.com) second cookbook and I really enjoyed it!  I’ve got a number of recipes I want to try.

• Sweet Journey:  A Bible Study by Teri Maxwell.  A friend at church gave me this book a few years ago and I enjoyed the study so much that I went back through it again.

Here are the books I hope to read in June.

Spiritual:  What Happens When Women Pray by Evelyn Carol Christenson
Marriage:  The 10 Commandments of Marriage by Ed Young
Parenting:  Hopeful Parenting:  Encouragement for Raising Kids Who Love God by David Jeremiah
Personal Growth:  Women Living Well by Courtney Joseph (This is a re-read.)

What have you been reading lately?

“Habits are the invisible architecture of daily life….If we change our habits, we change our lives.”

So begins Gretchen Rubin’s latest book Better Than Before:  Mastering the Habits of Our Everyday Lives.  She has studied happiness and habits and sets out to show that developing good habits is a way to make our lives better.  Throughout the book, she gives readers helpful tips on how to establish good habits, demonstrates the importance of tailoring habits to our individual personalities, and shares keys for making them stick.  The author shares her own experiences, as well as those of family members and friends she has helped.

This was a fun read for me as I can totally identify with Gretchen’s fondness for good habits.  Having habits in place – whether for eating, exercising, quiet time, spending time with our spouse and children – frees up our decision-making skills while insuring that the tasks that really matter to us, those things that enrich our lives, are actually getting done.

Blogging for Books provided me with a complimentary copy of this book.  All of the opinions expressed in this post are my own and
I was not compensated for this review in any other way.

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I’m excited to be back on track with my reading after a miserable report in March!

Here are the four books I’d planned to read in April.

• To Live is Christ by Beth Moore.  I had enjoyed Beth’s book Believing God,  so I decided to try another one.  For some reason, I just never got into this particular study.

• The Surprising Secrets of Highly Happy Marriages:  The Little Things That Make a Big Difference by Shaunti Feldhahn.  Enjoyed re-reading this book and reminding myself of the importance of showing my husband love in small, daily acts and attitudes.

• Middle School:  The Inside Story by Cynthia Tobias and Sue Acuna.  The authors of this book had a helpful perspective on middle schoolers and shared practical advice for some of the issues parents deal with when their children are this age.  It also affirms that most kids experience similar issues during this period, which is comforting!  This is a book I will refer to again, I’m sure.

• The Power of a Half Hour:  Take Back Your Life Thirty Minutes at a Time by Tommy Barnett.  You can read my full review of this book here.

These are the other books I read in April.

• Double Cross by DiAnn Mills.  This was my fiction read for our trip to Florida.

• How To Get Dressed:  A Costume Designer’s Secrets for Making Your Clothes Look, Fit, and Feel Amazing by Alison Freer.  You can read my review of this book here.

• The French Women’s Diet by Susan Kiernan-Lewis.  I think I stay motivated to eat healthier foods and move more when I read books like this one frequently!

Here are the books I plan to read in May.

Spiritual:  Restless:  Because You Were Made for More by Jennie Allen
Marriage:  Wife After God:  Drawing Closer to God and Your Husband by Jennifer Smith
Parenting: Parenting with Purpose:  Winning the Heart of Your Child by Paul and Billie Kaye Tsika
Personal Growth:  Better Than Before:  Mastering the Habits of Our Everyday Lives by Gretchen Rubin

What have you been reading lately?

I like learning how to make the most of the clothes I own, trying new ways to wear them that is appropriate for my body type, and mixing and matching them in different looks.   I was hopeful that How to Get Dressed:  A Costume Designer’s Secrets for Making Your Clothes Look, Fit, and Feel Amazing by Alison Freer would do just that.

The book has helpful advice for making sure clothes fit you properly which, according to Freer, is the majority of the battle in presenting yourself well.  There are tips on properly laundering, repairing, and storing your clothes along with chapters on finding your style and using vintage and thrift stores to find quality clothing at bargain prices.

The author, a professional costume designer, is certainly an expert on her subject matter.  However, I was surprised to find some inappropriate language in this book (certainly unexpected, given the topic), and that would definitely keep me from recommending it to others.

Blogging for Books provided me with a complimentary copy of this book.  All of the opinions expressed in this post are my own and
I was not compensated for this review in any other way.